


Halloween Party

by Beleriandings



Category: The Silmarillion and other histories of Middle-Earth - J. R. R. Tolkien
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, Halloween 2015 on Tumblr, Halloween Costumes, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-08
Updated: 2015-11-08
Packaged: 2018-04-30 15:21:53
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,812
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5168762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beleriandings/pseuds/Beleriandings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>“It’s not a date… wait. No. No. No costumes.”</p><p>“Aw come on Nelyo.” Maglor elbowed him in the ribs, delightedly. “It’s a Halloween party. It’s bad luck not to wear a costume! True fact.”</p><p>“Bullshit. You just straight-up made that up on the spot.”</p><p>“Well yeah. But still! Costumes are fun!” Maglor leered. “I bet Finno thinks so too…”</p><p>Maedhros half-rolled his eyes, but then looked at Maglor contemplatively. “You… you think he would?”</p>
            </blockquote>





	Halloween Party

“I  _can’t_  tonight, Finno” Maedhros was saying, turning his face into his phone and glancing hurriedly at the door, where he was sure he had heard the telltale shuffling and muffled giggles that meant one of his younger brothers was listening there. “Mum and Dad are having a Halloween party for my little brothers and their friends from school, and I have to help out. You can’t imagine how many toffee apples I’ve dipped today, and then I cut my thumb carving pumpkins. And Curvo turned out to be much better at it than I am anyway - ”

“Oh, I can believe that.”

“Hey!”

“Sorry!” Maedhros could hear Fingon laughing on the other end of the phone. “Sorry, sorry. I realise you’re in pain. Was he a smug little brat about it?”

“I…” Maedhros chewed his lip, conflicted for a moment. “Pretty much, yeah. I don’t understand it, the child is only thirteen but he’s already some sort of pumpkin prodigy. And on top of it all, those polyester spiderwebs I’ve hung up everywhere are making me sneeze…”

“Exactly my point!” said Fingon. “You see, you’ve earned your break. You’ve done your duty already! Besides, your gross brother is here already. Irissë’s having a party.”

 

“What about you?” asked Maedhros suspiciously. “And that’s the first I’ve heard of a party. Won’t your mum and dad mind?”

“They’re taking the rabble of hyperactive sugar-fuelled kiddies out trick-or-treating, and then they’re all going to sleep at uncle Arafinwë’s” said Fingon, and Maedhros could practically hear the grin in his voice. “Meanwhile, Turno has refused my party invitation, but I think I know why… he’s got a girl coming over!”

“Oh, is it Elenwë, from his maths class?”

“How the hell do  _you_  know about stuff like that before me?”

“I’m actually  _observant_ , Finno.”

“Hmph.” Fingon sounded bitter. “But anyway, it’s a sad situation… my little brother is getting some while I'm…”

“Finno, they’re fifteen. I’m sure… I  _hope_  they’re only holding hands and kissing a bit. Above the belt stuff.”

“Please, this is my brother and his girlfriend, could you not?”

“You brought it up!”

“Yeah. But we’re getting off my point.”

“What  _is_  your point then?”

He could imagine Fingon’s smirk without even having to see his face. “Come over to my house and I’ll  _show_ you my point.”

“Was that supposed to be innuendo? Not gonna work.”

“Aw.”

Maedhros sighed, drawing his hand through the front of his hair as he heard a yelp and a crash out in the corridor, which he suspected strongly was the plastic skeleton hung up in the hallway falling to the ground. “Findekáno, you know I want to. But I can’t!”

Fingon sighed too. “Ah well. I get that you need to look after your brothers. I guess I’ll see you tomorrow then…”

“Yeah, bye…” Maedhros realised he felt more guilty than he should have. “Finno, wait…”

But Fingon had already hung up.

Maedhros, frustrated, got up and paced about his room, sat back down again, opened his laptop to see if Fingon was online, then closed it again, changing his mind. Briefly, his hand hovered over his phone once more, before turning away, running his fingers through his hair. No, he thought, he needed to help out with his brothers, he had promised he would…

With resolve, he turned to the door ready to stride back out into the hallway, but as soon as he pulled it open he started back in surprise, knocking his elbow against the door frame painfully. “Dammit Macalaurë!”

“Hey.”

“For all I wouldn’t put listening at my door past the twins or even Curvo, I would have thought you had grown beyond that stage” he said, rather frostily.

Maglor snorted. “Not likely. Besides, it sounds like you need a bit of an intervention.”

Maedhros frowned. “What did you hear?”

“In essence, you feel conflicted because you want to get your butt out of here, to where Finno’s cute butt is - ”

“Káno!”

Maglor sighed. “The point is, you want to be at that party. Not here. But your dumb conscience says that you should be here doing crowd control with our baby brothers and their school friends, correct?”

“Well, I wouldn’t put it like that…”

“Nelyo, I can talk to Mum and Dad. Tell them… you’re going trick-or-treating.”

“What? No, that won’t work, I said I’d help…”

“Nelyo, Dad can handle the kids on his own, and if that fails there’s always Mum… and I can cover for you.”

Maedhros gave his grinning brother a long look. “…Really?”

“Sure! As long as the kids like me playing an improv mash-up of Bohemian Rhapsody and the Doctor Who theme music on the viola then we’re all good.”

“Nerd. You just like showing off, don’t you?”

Maglor grinned. “Pretty much. Last time they all loved it. I was like the fucking Pied Piper of Halloween.”

Maedhros gritted his teeth. “You’re enjoying this way too much.”

“Hell yeah. Now come on, we need to get you into your costume so you can leave for your date with Finno.”

“It’s not a  _date_ … wait. No.  _No_. No costumes.”

“Aw come on Nelyo.” Maglor elbowed him in the ribs, delightedly. “It’s a Halloween party. It’s bad luck not to wear a costume! True fact.”

“Bullshit. You just straight-up made that up on the spot.”

“Well yeah. But still! Costumes are fun!” Maglor leered. “I bet Finno thinks so too…”

Maedhros half-rolled his eyes, but then looked at Maglor contemplatively. “You… you think he would?”

“Of course.” Maglor propelled across through the hall to his own room. He gave Maedhros an appraising look. “Hmm, so, what should you go as?”

“Something low-key, please. Some cat ears or something.”

“Nah” said Maglor, decisively. “Too generic. He stood back, walking in a circle around his brother. “I know! You can be a pumpkin! It would work with your hair colour. All we need to do is paint your whole body orange…”

“Paint… orange… Káno no. I’ll look like a goddamn oompa loompa.”

“Hmm, not quite. You’re too tall. You’d look like  _two_ oompa loompas in a coat. Which is not a good look at all, unless Findekáno’s into that, I don’t want to assume anything…”

“Káno!”

“Ah yes, of course, sorry. Costumes! I’m getting off topic!” Maglor walked in a circle around him, appraising him. “Aha!” he said at last.

Maedhros rolled his eyes. “Inspiration struck you, did it?”

“Yep. You’re going to be Ariel! You’ve got the hair for it, anyway.”

“What.”

“From Disney’s  _The Little Mermaid_. Remember we watched it when the twins - ”

“Yes, I know  _The Little Mermaid_  is a thing. But what makes you think - ”

“Perfect. Let me just find that shell bra and mermaid tail…”

“What. Káno, why do you even  _have_  a shell bra and mermaid tail?”

“Musical theatre, obviously” said Maglor, not looking up from rooting through his wardrobe. “Duh. Ah, here!”

“You know I’m not actually going as the little mermaid, don’t you?”

“Yes you are!”

“Aren’t Halloween costumes supposed to be scary?” asked Maedhros weakly.

“Please, Nelyo. When you were a kid, I distinctly remember you went as a strawberry one time. You had a little green plume hat and everything.”

“For fuck’s sake. You must have been four then, at most. How do you even remember stuff like that?”

“Sheer force of will. I need to, to do my brotherly embarrassment duty. Now, get that shirt off and let’s see what you look like in that bra.”

Reluctantly, Maedhros complied. “I’ll freeze on the way there!” he tried to object.

“Then you better hurry over to Finno’s quickly, hadn’t you? But I’m sure when you get there, you’ll be warmed up pretty quickly.” Maglor smirked, as he lifted up Maedhros’ hair to do up the bra. “There. Almost a perfect mermaid. Now hurry up and put your tail on.”

Half an hour later, Maedhros was standing outside the backdoor gate to Fingon’s house, holding his phone to his ear, Maglor at his side. There was light, the babble of voices and the low pulse of music coming from within, but the curtains were drawn.

 _I’m outside,_  he texted Fingon.

 _BAE HANG ON IM COMIN ;))))_  he received back, a mere moment later.

He was just about to turn to speak to Maglor again, when the back door of the house flew open, and Fingon was barrelling into him, arms flying about his chest with enough force to knock the breath from him. “Maitimo! You made it!” Fingon drew back, looking him slowly up and down. “I… wow. I  _like_  this look on you.”

“Your costume didn’t turn out half bad either, Finno” said Maglor, elbowing his brother conspiratorially in the ribs.

Maedhros had been squinting at Fingon’s face in the dim light of the patio, but now he looked his up and down, drawing in a breath. He was wearing an open-necked white shirt and remarkably close-fitting trousers with a red sash, and high black boots. His dark hair was artfully flipped to one side. “Finno, are you…”

“Prince Eric, yes. It’s our couple costume, duh! Now, which song do you want to re-enact first? I’m in favour of  _Kiss the Girl_ , personally, but - ”

Maedhros was shaking his head, disbelievingly. “You two… you planned this shit together from the start, didn’t you?”

“You got us” said Maglor gleefully. “One last thing.” Solemnly, he took a plastic fork out of his pocket and placed it in Maedhros’ hair.

“What the fuck, Káno?”

“It’s called a dinglehopper” said Maglor, grinning.

The room was close and packed with Fingon and Celegorm’s friends from class, the party in full swing. “This is going to be all over Facebook tomorrow, isn’t it?” said Maedhros, blinking in the flash as someone snapped a photo of the two of them in the costumes.

Fingon smiled, dipping Maedhros quickly backwards into a sweeping kiss for the next picture. “Yep. Just roll with it. It’s not every day you get to be a mermaid!”

“Ah! Careful of the tail, I can barely walk in this thing!”

Fingon smirked. “Well, if all goes according to plan you won’t need to be doing much walking later.”

“Yeah, but until then I need to at least stay vaguely upright.”

“Take a drink. It won’t help, but Irissë and Tyelko spent time and effort on those fake IDs.”

“They could have just asked me.”

“I said so to them myself. Apparently they think you’re too much of a stick in the mud.”

“I guess usually I am” said Maedhros. He shook his head, smiling despite himself, as he accepted a drink, some sort of pale pink punch in a plastic skull-shaped cup. He eyed it suspiciously, then passed the other to Fingon who took a long drink. “Why did I agree to this?”

Fingon nudged his arm. “For me?”

“Yep, that must be it.”


End file.
